After 797 games, Jim 'Machine' Shearer calls it a career

Jim Shearer worked for the Cardinals the past 40 football seasons, yet the only places his given name showed up with any regularity was on paychecks and in yearly media guides.Otherwise, he was known as "The Machine," or, more commonly, just "Machine."That's what everyone in the organization, and in the NFL, called him.Machine, an assistant athletic trainer, retired last week.Start with fiery Charred Octopus or the Guacamole Trio, which comes in tropical,diagnosisexpert goat cheese and ranchero flavors. The Seahawks game, the 797th one he worked in 40 seasons, was his last.Machine gave his notice last week,Katie Holmes was spotted out and about recently in a fall-appropriate fedora see above. These hats aren't only for celebrities!Eric Javits, Jr., the president and designer for Eric Javits Inc.,button bits a luxe hats and accessories company, told me that everyone can wear hats. telling President Michael Bidwill and head athletic trainer Tom Reed that he was done,Google Glass and other wearable devices may soon augment smartphones for rock bolt technophiles. tired of the grind.Just like that. Here one day, gone the next."It's definitely different," safety Rashad Johnson said on Monday.Exoskeletons or other robotic prosthetics may give disabled folks new freedom or diamond core bit prevent injuries for industrial workers handling heavy loads. "When I walked in today and saw someone else holding down his station, taping up guys, it was definitely a different feel." 

The timing of Machine's retirement prompted speculation about the reasons. Had he been forced out? Was there a disagreement?Nope, he told those close to him. Forty years of early mornings and late nights, well, enough was enough.The NFL is not only tough on players and coaches, it's hard on those who work behind the scenes, including athletic trainers.It's a good living, but the hours are crazy. A player needs treatment at 6 a.m.? An athletic trainer has to be there. A coach wants his staff to work the Senior Bowl after the season? The whole training staff goes, too.What's really amazing is that someone did it for 40 years with one team.Longevity, though, is not what made Machine unique. It was the crusty, curmudgeonly exterior, the biting wit, and the fact that he treated everyone the same. 

"Like expletive," former Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis said, laughing. "If Machine ever said something nice to you, like, ‘Nice to meet you and da-da-da,' you knew he didn't like you.The Foster Farms salmonella outbreak this month has underscored the importance of cooking core barrel and handling poultry properly."So when Machine called a young media-relations assistant "Slappy," it was really a term of endearment."If he didn't like you, he wouldn't speak to you," receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "But if he did like you, he'd give you the shirt off his back. He's one of the most kind-hearted people you will ever meet, and his wife, Nelma, wears the pants in the house."A couple of years ago, azcentral.com featured "Machine" as part of a storytellers project. At the beginning of the video, Machine is asking for a volunteer to hop onto his table to be taped up.